Norway in biometric passport drive

6 December 2006

Motorola is signing a contract with Norway’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (UD) and the National Police Computing and Material Service
(PDMT) to provide for the collection and verification of biometric data
for Norwegian passports, visas and other travel documents. Biometric
data provides the capability to identify people through unique physical
attributes such as fingerprints, the iris, or face characteristics.

The Motorola solution for Norway will be one of the first in Europe that
follows EU standards for passport and visa application system to include
fingerprints, 2D face and signature capture—a “multi-mode” mix that
helps ensure data integrity and security by enabling several sources of
identification versus just one.

Motorola will supply approximately 700 fixed enrolment stations for use
in Norway and a further 100 portable versions for use in Norwegian
embassies and other enrolment centres around the globe. Finger print
capture will be capable of supporting 1000 pixels per inch (PPI) images,
as well as the more common 500 PPI. The goal of the technology is to
help make the passport and visa enrolment process easier for applicants
while providing data that can help the Norway UD and the PDMT strengthen
cross border security.

“As a global leader in identity management and security technology,
Motorola are extremely pleased to be working with Norway’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the National Police Computing and Material Service
to develop such an advanced, global civil ID project,” says Ricardo
Galeano, Director Biometrics Unit EMEA, Motorola Networks & Enterprise.
“This contract builds on Motorola’s 30 year heritage in biometrics
supporting home, government, airport and border security with trusted
solutions that deliver fast, accurate results.”

Motorola will provide additional software for biometric capture to guide
applicants through the enrolment process, including local language
versions for the portable units. Although the process may still be
overseen by a member of staff, the front-end software makes the
enrolment stations very easy for applicants to use and therefore
minimises the level of support required from enrolment staff.

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“Simplicity is the key to making these systems work for us,” says Elin
Ostebo Johansen, Director General in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs “It is very important to us that we offer people an easy way to
apply for a passport or visa that include new biometric requirements.
The enrolment process will be fast and intuitive, collecting biometric
data at the same time as the demographic information that has always
been required.”

The Identity Management and Security Solutions from Motorola capture,
manage and protect travel-related biometric data in line with
International Civilian Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. The
solution will also meet the specifications of the International
Standards Organisation (ISO) on the storage, secure encryption and
interoperability of biometric information, as well as satisfying the
requirements of Norway’s Personal Data Act.